Archive · 22 May 2025
Maharashtra Minister Proposes Trial for HT Cotton Seeds
The agriculture minister in Maharashtra wants farmers to try out special cotton seeds that can handle weed-killing chemicals.
Right now, it's not legal to use these seeds because they haven't been approved by the government.
However, some farmers are already using them, getting them through unofficial sources.
These seeds make farming easier because they help get rid of weeds using chemicals, which means farmers don't need as many workers.
The minister also talked about using machines to pick cotton to solve the problem of not having enough people to do the work.
Maharashtra's Agriculture Minister seeks trial use of herbicide-tolerant cotton seeds.
The seeds currently lack legal approval from the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee.
Farmers are using the seeds obtained through the black market from Gujarat.
Herbicide-tolerant seeds can lower labor costs by using herbicides to kill weeds.
The minister also proposes mechanized cotton picking to address labor shortages.
- Who
- Maharashtra's Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate.
- What
- Maharashtra's Agriculture Minister advocates for trial use of herbicide-tolerant cotton seeds.
- When
- Recently
- Where
- Maharashtra
- Why
- To assess the impact of herbicide-tolerant cotton seeds and address labor shortages.
Legality Concerns
Potential Benefits
Use of HT Cotton Seeds
Legality Concerns
Seeds are illegal currently due to a lack of approval from the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee.
Potential Benefits
Allows farmers to assess its impact, reduce labor costs, and address labor shortages.
- Agriculture Minister
- Manikrao Kokate
- Union Minister
- Shivraj Singh Chouhan
- Cotton Seed Type
- Herbicide-tolerant
- Committee
- Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC)